Give me a place to stand and I will move the world —the mathematician Archimedes’ term that we use frequently at Dekada is “emotional equity”. I’m certain that someone such as Ken King of the Calgary Flames organization will know exactly what I’m referring to but, loosely, it’s inspiring the next generation, showing what’s possible and building the greats of tomorrow.

Recently, I was at a Real Canadian Wrestling event at the Royal Canadian Legion 1 and reminisced about the glory days of Stampede Wrestling, which left an impression on us at Dekada as we promote our own sport of boxing.

There was a time that Stu Hart’s promotion captivated this entire city. Everyone watched the show each Saturday afternoon on Global TV, while the live event was hosted at the Stampede Pavilion the night before. It was my wife’s grandmother from Italy — who spoke very little English — that introduced the spectacle to her family.

Hart became so important to the city that when he passed away, many legends of wrestling attended the funeral service. I’m a frequent patron of the local promotions and not only is it an incredible night of entertainment for just a few bucks, but even the crowd can be quite fascinating.

It’s an amazing mix of people from all walks of life. While I watched the crowd and the show, I noticed the impact such an event has on everyone. Not only the talent performing, but the viewers and everyone involved in setting up the show.

The same beer you get at a night club or restaurant for 8 or 9 dollars, the Legion serves up for five. A young lady celebrated her 16th birthday at that show, and the guy sitting next to me in the souped-up wheelchair was very well received by every wrestler.

We left feeling happy and exhilarated after a performance, including one from former WWE star Gangrel, as he made a rare local appearance. Here’s a guy that’s performed at Wrestlemania and still brings the same level of action and performance to the crowd of 300.

I also shared a story with my lovely wife Rita about my very own “wrestling angle”. In 1993, I participated at a local Can-Am promotion run by trainer Ed Langley. I did my piece as a special guest referee, and I was to be involved in the masterpiece being orchestrated in the back by some hulking blonde Adonis. After my part was over, I was pressed for time and had to make my way down to bounce at the Fox & Firkin. Years later, that Adonis turned out to be Winnipeg’s own wrestling legend Chris Jericho.

Perhaps Hart had a little something to do with the magic of this city and just what it means to be a Calgarian?

Drive past the Saddledome after a game lets out and watch the parents with their kids reliving what just happened as they walk away. See the people that, through local sport, end up doing something big. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson spent some time here recently filming a movie and still he can find a piece of his heart in Calgary.

Willie deWit was a local boxer, went to the Olympics, and he had a successful pro boxing career. Willie’s popularity as a boxer helped him as he reinvented himself after retiring from the ring to pursue law. He now sits on the bench as a provincial court judge.

At the last Dekada Contender show on March 30 at the Deerfoot Casino, we had a party of 18 celebrating a birthday. There was also a group of six with the groom to be bidding farewell to the single life for a bachelor party, and an extremely loud, raucous crowd of Calgarians spending their evening watching the local fighters. We know we’re doing something right as five events in 7 months were complete sell outs and boxing is creeping its way into the forefront of Calgary sports.

Just imagine what becomes of the current stable of local boxers as they use the Dekada stage to cut their own path. We’ve witnessed world class boxers develop, such as Albert Onolunose and Kandi Wyatt, independent fighter Steve Claggett, Devin Reti, Gwyn Lewis, Alvin Tam, Jordan McNaughton, and more. The list will continue to grow as the developing amateur stars now have a consistent platform to work from.

What will boxing become here once we hit the levels of hosting at the Saddledome on a regular basis? It happens in the biggest arenas in Quebec and looks to be emerging in Ontario as well. Our city once saw the Stampede Corral packed for a night of fights way back in 1985 by deWit.

So if you’re a true boxing fan, come watch us at the Deerfoot Casino and support your local fighters. At every single Dekada event, we employ over 100 people and there’s only a few who actually fight. The rest are living out their own dreams, and participating in their own ways in professional boxing. The local stars will come and go, some may even become greats and some may parlay their experience into other areas beyond sports. This is the way we build a community and future leaders through sport, and this remains the highest level of “emotional equity” measurable.

So in the meantime and in between time, that’s it another edition of Mr. Boxing YYC